Guild Wars 2

Snowstorm.3897:

One of my guildies says you can get lodestones by salvaging greens and up, and says he used this method to farm and buy commander. Since I’ve got a decent backlog of gold, I decided to test this and bought 50 l80 greens off of the TP, and used master salvage kits on them. I didn’t get a single lodestone. But I still don’t know whether or not this is true or whether he was trolling The chance could be a lot lower than 2% chance with master salvage kit. If you want to test this further, apparently its green items and master salvage kits. Use Mystic if you want to save yourself money.

I’ve never had loadstones from salvaging, and I’ve never heard anyone mention it before. I think the probability of him trolling you is 98.3% troll.

Obviously the more the better, but 3,300 sample size is good imo to determine a trend or a pattern at least; I wish I had that much data ;P I can open the sheet for public if people are willing to help.

Still waiting for answer.

Sadly it’s possible, although the chance of not getting any Ectos using BLSK for 5 consecutive times is quite small (if that’s what happened with you). It’s just a bad streak which was countered by a good streak as you experienced :P

In total, I’d say you made a profit from the 12 rares.

Nirvash.3018:

I think theres a bug or something… Just salvaged 6 rares with BLK while farming (had item DR on) got 1 ecto. Logged out for 2 hours come back crafted 6 rare GS’s slavaged them with BLK got 12 ecots. WTF.

According to ANET official word, there is no DR on salvaging.
Rest is just bad/good RNG.

Ok I uploaded my spreadsheet for public review.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhUFMgIGLNDMdGtsQmZNcnoxd1lYV2ludU5FMjJhWnc#gid=1

Tell me what you think and if people are willing to fill in data.

PS: The purple headers on top of the sheet are the only data parts that need to be entered, as per my previous post; the rest is done automatically.

Milennin.4825:

I had a few exotics, only 1 got me an ecto (2 of them). (salvaged with Black Lion Kits)
I also had some rares. Most of them gave me an ecto, or multiples. Seems like rares are better sources for ectos than exotics are. (salvaged with second highest merchant kit)

Really hard to make a call like that on a few tries.

I did cooking 0-400 on alt and got from around lvl 1 to 17, mainly focusing on discoveries and using a crafting booster from ~ 300-400. Higher lvls of cooking will get you leveled up faster, as far as I observed.

@ Sarathor.2409 … it would be really nice if you could share your info with me, at least the info I am interested in, as per the below.

UPDATE

Here is a 2-pic album of my latest updates; I am trying to get some more samples from guildies as well.

I added more info to the sheet, like T6 mats and upgrades (runes/sigils). The list is largely automated now as well. I just really need more samples.

http://imgur.com/a/4D4ku#0

PS: I double-checked and lvl 68+ rares do give Ectos, like the Wiki says.

If anyone is salvaging items and would like to help, can you note down your salvage info as per the table and share here?

What I need, per item:

(1) Quality and Level of item.
Example: R71 / rare lvl 71 / E78 / exotic 78 / exo 78

(2) Lowest Selling Price of item on BLTC (if you were to sell it for profit instead of salvage).
Example: 20s 30c / 20.30c / 0.2030

(3) Number of Ectos salvaged, if any.
Example: 2 ectos / 2e

(4) Number of T6 mats salvaged, if any.
Example: 2 ori ore / 2 ori / 2 oo

(5) Lowest Selling Price on BTLC of the salvaged Upgrade item (Rune/Sigil), if any.
Example: 3s 2c / 3.2c / 0.0203

(6) Type of Salvage Tool used.
Example: Mythic SK / Mythic

Something like:
R78, 20s 60c, 1 ecto, 2 ori, 2s 40c, Myth

Thanks

Alduin.3410:

The main guys I see drop oranges, which isn’t very often, are pirates.

Pirates = Oranges = Gangplank … logic

Yea, I occasionally get T6 mats from white/blue/green items using a Basic SK.

But if T6 are basic mats, then any kit would have the same chance of getting them (unless I am missing something), and then it would be best to continue using the Crude/Basic ones.

I’ve been reading a lot about the issue of Salvage Kits and rarer materials, and the alleged higher chances of Black Lion Salvage Kits and Master/Mythic Salvage Kits to salvage mats such as Orichalcum / Gossamer and Globs of Ectoplasm.

Sadly, none of the studies and tests have had a large enough sample size to constitute a real answer. I’ve even tried to do some work on it, but I simply do not have the resources to even come close to a result. So can we please have a definitive answer to this?

Q: What are those “rarer materials” listed on salvage kits? In other words, which mats are those kits supposed to be better at salvaging?

(1) Is Orichalcum / Gossamer a *rarer" material?

The official Wiki lists them under T6 “basic material”: Crafting Material
So, are they basic mats, just like Iron and Gold, or are they “rarer mats”?

If they are basic mats, then any kit has the same chance of salvaging them, correct?

(2) Is Glob of Ectoplasm a *rarer" material?

The Wiki lists it under “Exotic” without any details: Glob of Ectoplasm

Some tests suggest that Ecto is not “rarer mat” since all salvage kits seems to have the same chance of getting it, whereas those salvage kits have different % chance listed on them to get rarer mats, which is really confusing.

And, if Ecto is not a “rarer mat”, (and Ori/Goss is not either), then what is?

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for a clarification, so can you help out with a solid answer please just to clear this once and for all?

Thank you

Moderator edit: removed CoC infraction from thread title

Articluna.4509:

To point out someones err; Master is 25% for rarers.

Yeah you are right, sorry about the confusion.

So, what some are saying here is that “Crude SK” and “Master/Mystic SK” have the same chance of getting Ori/Goss, as those are not considered “rarer mats”? And that only Ectos are actually the “rarer mats” listed on the SKs?

Can we get any sort of clarification or confirmation from ANET please?

@ Ryoki Hokishami.2756 … I’ve actually considered that. Personally I had 3 BLSK which I got for free by just playing the game, and I play casually. I expect the same with others.

With the current cost of Gems (x100 =~ 70s) , buying a BLSK for 300 Gems just to salvage Ectos is not a good idea anyway: you only make money if you get 2 Ectos or more per salvage, which is a great risk/gamble.

I can easily add an extra column to deduct the cost of using BLSK, but I am still unsure if that would be right since I do not think people buy BLSK for Gems to salvage Ectos.

OmniPotentes.4817:

Great work. I have never gotten an ecto from a 74 rare. Did you use any in your research or were those 74s exotic?

Really? Just bad luck then. According to Wiki, lvl 68+ has a chance to give 0 to 3 ectos, exotics 0-5. [Confirmed]

Darx.9842:

Yes I did use the 250 charge mystic which claims 25% chance for rarer mats, but I believe it’s false and more around 10% or less. Master’s seems like it actually provides the advertised 25%.

I’ve always wondered actually if Ectos fall into the same “rare material” category as Ori, Goss, etc, or maybe they have a separate % ?

I have been wondering about this myself, so I started a little personal project.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/crafting/Ecto-Salvage-Stats-Spreadsheet/first#post693778

I would like to hear your thoughts and feedback.

@ NoOneShotU.3479

Hmm … the main purpose for this was to determine the salvage rate of Ecto from yellow items (or exotics), using different tools, and whether it’s a profit or not.

In fact, I did not count salvage mats, runes or sigils, which -as u state- would add a bit mote to the net gain, perhaps upwards of 1s if you include mats + rune/sigil.

@ Darx.9842

You should have tabulated your results

I normally use the “Basic SK” (10% to recover rare mats) on Whites. I vendor Blues / Greens. But I may as well test with Master SK and see; however tracking all mats would be cumbersome, or are you only interested in tracking rare ones like Ori, Goss, Hardened Leather, etc? Also did you use the Mystic Sk with 250 charges or just the regular one? They are supposed to be the same but I am just wondering

Darx.9842:

I don’t salvage for ectos, I just sell the rares because it’s safer. But if you are salvaging whites/blues for ori and gossamer, I would love to see some numbers.

One of the main reason behind this sheet is to see whether salvaging for Ecto is really more profitable -vs- simply auctioning off the items, and if so by how much. Also to check the actual salvage rate (0 to 3).

>> QUICK LINKS <<

Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhUFMgIGLNDMdGtsQmZNcnoxd1lYV2ludU5FMjJhWnc#gid=1

Data Entry Form:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhUFMgIGLNDMdEJYU3Rwblg4QVFSTDRBZnV6RUNrVnc#gid=1

Hi,

I have always liked statistics and spreadsheets. Most recently I did such work for Rift (Mage Gear List) and SWToR (Slicing Table).

So, yesterday I started a simple spreadsheet to keep track of my Ecto salvaging stats as a small personal project, but I thought I may as well share it and see how that works. The sample is obviously quite small so far, but I intend to log everything from now on.

- I wonder if people are interested in something like this. If so, I can try to open up the sheet to gather public data.

- Are there other stats of interest that players would like to see?

- Also, has anyone else already done something similar?

Here is a pic so far. Any feedback is welcome.
http://i.imgur.com/FQtVy.jpg

EDIT 1:

Here is the spreadsheet for public review:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhUFMgIGLNDMdGtsQmZNcnoxd1lYV2ludU5FMjJhWnc#gid=1

I can open it to public editing if some are willing to fill-in the data.
Please note that the only data parts that need to be entered are under the purple headers/categories on top of the sheet; the rest is done automatically.

These categories are:

(1) Quality and Level of item: Rare/Exotic (lvl 68+).
(2) Lowest Selling Price of item on BLTC (Black Lion Trading Post/AH), if you were to sell it for profit instead of salvage.
(3) Number of Ectos salvaged, if any.
(4) Number of T6 mats salvaged, if any.
(5) Lowest Selling Price on BTLC of the salvaged Upgrade item (Rune/Sigil), if any.
(6) Type of Salvage Tool used.

If you still want to help but do not like spreadsheets, you can simply post your results here as text and I will compile the info. Here are some examples:

- R78, 20s 60c, 1 ecto, 2 ori, 2s 40c, Mythic
- R73, 19s 00c, 0 ecto, 0, 1s 90c, BL
- R71, 22s 10c, 3 ecto, 0, 0, Master

EDIT 2:

I created a data entry form for my spreadsheet, in hopes that people would help me with data gathering. So, please, use it if you can when you are salvaging for ectos; it only takes a few seconds for each item.

>> I simplified it a bit for less confusion and restricted it to only what needs to be entered.

>> If you are unclear about what some things mean, hover over each category and check the notes.

>> I included 3 samples at the beginning to give you an idea.

DATA ENTRY FORM Link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhUFMgIGLNDMdEJYU3Rwblg4QVFSTDRBZnV6RUNrVnc#gid=1

>> You only need to enter the data in columns C through N, which have purple headers, (don’t touch column B). Here is a quick recap on what each column should include:

(C) Quality Color and Level of item: Rare is yellow background and Exotic is orange background (only lvl 68+ give ectos btw).

(D) Check the Black Lion Trading Post (BLTC or AH) for the Lowest Selling Price of the item (as if you are going to sell it for profit instead of salvage).

The format is: 00g . 00s 00c (i.e: “0.2018” means 20s 18c and “1.5000” means 1g 50s).

PS: Items bought for Dungeon tokens obviously have no BTLC price, since they are soul bound.

(F) Number of Ectos salvaged, if any. If you get nothing, enter “0”.

(H to K) Number of T6 mats salvaged, if any (i.e. Orichalcum Ore, Gossamer, etc).

(L) If you get an Upgrade Component (like a Rune or Sigil), enter its BTLC Lowest Sell Price. Again, the format is: 00g . 00s 00c

(N) Type of Salvage Tool used.

PS: Salvage tools have automatic color-coding for easier tracking: “Black Lion SK” = dark orange, “Mythic” = light orange, “Master” = yellow. Just write the name and the sheet does the rest. Also, if you use some other kit, just enter its name, like Basic SK.

If you have any problems, PM me or post here.

Thanks.

I just wanted to share my experience so far.

My account was restored twice (password reset twice). I had mistakenly put 2 tickets (really sorry): the first from the support “Ask a Question” page and the second from within “My Stuff” account. I was not sure which was the right one to use at the time.

Anyway, I got an email reply on my “Ask a Question” ticket within a few hours that my issue was escalated. After a day, the “ban” turned into “hacked account” issue. And after a total of about 30 hours, my account was restored through that ticket.

I went to my support account and closed the other ticket. But after an additional 24 hours, another GM insisted on finishing the other (now closed) ticket and restored my account again. Thank you to both GMs btw

All in all, I appreciate ANET efforts and I sincerely hope such false bans are avoided in the future, and perhaps a better detection system would be implemented.

TLDR:

1) It seems the “Ask a Question” page has a faster GM response time.
2) Only write 1 ticket for your issue.
3) ANET, please implement better detection systems in the future to avoid false bans.

Ok, so I tested the “Mobile Authenticator” further and it seems that it works for new networks. However, I do not get a notification for the “Email Authenticator” any longer.

I thought “Mobile Authenticator” was meant to add an extra layer of security on top of “Email Authenticator”, or is it intended to replace it?

Any clarification would be appreciated.

metalfingerbass.1826:

OK, I just check ticket and realize that they changed “Suspended” to “Hacked”. WTf! Something is very wrong here

I had the same thing, then after a few hours I got my account back.

So, the game launcher is supposed to ask for an Authenticator code upon login, but it is not asking for it atm?

Seed.6149:

we have detected that your account may have been accessed by an unauthorized individual. For your secrutity, further access to the account has been suspended until this matter can be resolved. To restore access to this account, please contact support and one of our representatives will assist you

new error! no longer saying im a bot… and guess what!

I had the same issue: my “false ban” ticket turned into a “hacked account” ticket and the log in error message changed from being “banned” to “unauthorized access”. However, a few hours after that, my account was reinstated and password reset and I was able to log in.

Penthos.5148:

Tonight, after playing from a Dunkin Doughnuts for about 30 minutes while waiting for my daughter’s art class to end, I came home and attempted to login only to find my account had been permanently terminated for botting… I have NEVER botted in my life, what the heck? I wouldn’t know how to do it if I wanted to.

I would really like to know what it was that made them think I was a bot. Considering the fact that I have reported NUMEROUS bots (aka nude archers) I think it’s pretty ironic that I’m getting blocked for botting.

Anyway I just submitted a ticket but reading here that it will take 2-3 days to fix makes me sad…

Many of us are/were in the same boat, mate. A ban out of nowhere and for no reason, and they don’t tell you any details anyway; you just have to vent here a bit and wait for the account to be reinstated. If your account is not unlocked in 3 days, post here:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/account/Tickets-for-Review-3-days-and-older-merged/page/45#post666733

GL

KrisV.5612:

And guild member just said I was just shown online even though my account was banned so if its Anet checking on my account. I have done nothing wrong to cause this. …

I already posted about a similar experience I had before my account was reinstated.

“I tested with the help of my guild mates (over TS) and I discovered that every time I attempt to log in (and get stuck at the “unauthorized access” error) my name seems to appear in the game briefly but is grayed-out (as far as they can see).”

Either ANET trying to manually check on the account, or perhaps reset it, or just a glitch in the game system.

Amon.5042:

Gaile, it was impossible for me to play WvW or even PVE in high concurrency. I kept getting heavy lag and disconnects. Playing was starting to be an exercise in frustration. Playing GW2 was fine in the beginning but latency has sharply started to increase in more recent times.

Battleping made those problems disappear. That’s not an impression in improvement but a fact in my case. It certainly won’t help players who are already close but it can do a lot to those from far away. I’m in the Middle Kingdom and there are other cases, such as the following, which illustrates similar findings by oceanic players: http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/57693-oceanicasian-players-reduce-your-latency-now/

Your statement seems to imply that this service is mostly an illusion and is in the same group as a fully-fledged VPN (though it shouldn’t be); and it’s not desirable because RMT companies use them too. All I can say is that I hope not to get penalized by using a service that has proven to be effective. I don’t want to go back to that feeling of pain rather than fun because of latency.

I have to agree. I’ve had success using certain dedicated gaming proxy services which have reduced my in-game latency in other games from 400-500 ms to 200 ms ish (I live overseas).

Although GW2 has no latency meter atm, Smoothping, for example, has reduced the latency spikes as far as I can experience and I feel skills are more responsive (less time to activate). Without this service I get a lot of latency spikes, and sometimes skills take 1/2s to activate, which can be really noticeable with ground targeted skills.

I also have a general VPN which is not intended for gaming and actually increases latency if used for games. There is a difference between general VPNs and Gaming VPNs/ Proxies, at least in my experience.

I just wanted to say that I finally got my account back. It took around 30 hours.

Not entirely sure what happened in the first place. The message I got was that it was blocked for “security reasons” and I have no clue why. I did not get hacked and I certainly don’t run any shady programs, just Skype, Yahoo, Teamspeak and Smoothping for lower pings (I live overseas). Anyway I am glad to be back.

Good luck to everyone else and thanks ANET!

Oh and I got 2 emails from support, one a few hours after my initial ticket which said my ticket got escalated. And the last one a bit ago saying my account was restored. GL.

Yesterday, I successfully added a Mobile Authenticator to my account and I verified that an MA is linked to my account. I just got my account restored after a false ban, but I logged-in normally without getting any prompt for any MA code!?

I’ve used MA’s for many other games and they always ask me for a code upon login. Am I missing something?

Can an Admin / ANET Rep please help clarify this?!

Over 24 hours ago I was falsely banned for botting, and I immediately filed a support ticket. I have no clue why I would be a suspect in the first place, since I do not use any external programs (other than Smoothping to lower the high ping in game as I live overseas). I also play casually for a few hours everyday with a few friends, and barely have 3g as it is -.-

But, I am very concerned: my support ticket for the wrong ban now says “hacked account” and when I try to log into the game I get an error that:
“We have detected that your account may have been accessed by an unauthorized individual…”

I did not get any notice to my email, and I recently added Mobile Authenticator, so I don’t see how my account could be hacked. I also checked my account on GW2 website and the only IP login attempts are my own.

I tested with the help of my guild mates (over TS) and I discovered that every time I attempt to log in (and get stuck at the “unauthorized access” error) my name seems to appear in the game briefly but is grayed-out (as far as they can see).

I am almost sure that my account is not hacked. I am at a loss as to what is going on though.
I am still waiting for my account to be reinstated, but any clarification would be appreciated in the mean time.

PS: ref 121107-002323

I also play from across the Ocean and would appreciate an answer to this question.

My ticket number 121107-002323

Still waiting since yesterday … I got a message within a few hours that they are escalating my ticket but nothing since.

Being falsely banned is shocking, demeaning and -dare I say- insulting on so many levels, even though it’s probably unintentional on ANET’s part. You basically label honest players as botters and that really sucks; and then you deprive them from actually enjoying a game they paid for until the ban is lifted, which could take several days.

I honestly hope ANET implements better practices and systems to prevent false-positives in the future, because being unjustly banned is a somewhat akin to be wrongfully jailed in a sense.

I guess I will play some League of Legends and Skyrim until they get around to my case :/

zBluRrYz.1347:

Treplos.5182:

Ruith.5861:

It sounds like some of us have been reported for botting just because we have been seen farming events. Today I noticed that the place where there used to be ranger bots near Shelter in CS (the spider spawn just to the south of the gate) was bot free for once. So I went in and killed the spiders to rejoice in the discovery. I wonder if someone reported me for being a bot at that moment? lol

I really hope it doesn’t work that way, i.e. getting banned right away if someone reports you, because that would be stupid and irresponsible. There has to be multiple checks in place to confirm someone is actually a bot, and I am not sure if they have such measures in place right now.

On topic though, I asked about compensation already but my post got moved/merged and without a reply. I got falsely banned, missed my daily and guild activities, and who knows when they will get to my case to unban me.

It already sucks to be wrongly accused and banned and I believe it would only be fair to get some kind of compensation for the trouble and annoyance. I don’t know, like 100 gems for each day they ban us?

I dunno about you, but with my farming strategy, i can pull in about 12g a day. Im banned for no reason right now and every day im banned im losing 12-15g. I want compensation for that. This is gonna put my legendary farming back by a TON. That’s not fair.

I play the game casually these days, just to have fun with some friends for a couple of hours a day. I stopped worrying about legendaries a month ago.

So, obviously downtime from this false ban is different from one person to another, and hence compensation would have to be symbolic, as a form of apology in the least, if they would ever offer it in the first place.

Check a similar post above yours. Looks like a bug from ANET.

Ruith.5861:

It sounds like some of us have been reported for botting just because we have been seen farming events. Today I noticed that the place where there used to be ranger bots near Shelter in CS (the spider spawn just to the south of the gate) was bot free for once. So I went in and killed the spiders to rejoice in the discovery. I wonder if someone reported me for being a bot at that moment? lol

I really hope it doesn’t work that way, i.e. getting banned right away if someone reports you, because that would be stupid and irresponsible. There has to be multiple checks in place to confirm someone is actually a bot, and I am not sure if they have such measures in place right now.

On topic though, I asked about compensation already but my post got moved/merged and without a reply. I got falsely banned, missed my daily and guild activities, and who knows when they will get to my case to unban me.

It already sucks to be wrongly accused and banned and I believe it would only be fair to get some kind of compensation for the trouble and annoyance. I don’t know, like 100 gems for each day they ban us?

ANET have no right to dictate what players should use or do, as long as it does not affect GW2. Some people may have special hardware like a G510 keyboard but they do not use its features in the game, does that make them automatic offenders?

The music program we listen to, the non-gw2 apps we run, the type of wallpaper we use are all things that should be our own business.

Is it pressing the auto-attack button one too many times or just being in an area where perhaps bots hang out? All these are legitimate activities and should not be punished, even if done excessively, as long as you are not doing anything wrong. What if a player likes to farm 8 hours on end. Does that make them a bot?

ANET only makes it worse since they are not forthcoming with information, making people have to throw wild assumptions and speculations here and there. Or are we all guilty until proven innocent?

Some clarification can really help.

I also got perma-banned for botting …….

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/account/I-got-perma-banned-for-botting/first#post664151

This is my first post on the forums and I am extremely frustrated and angry. Over an hour ago, I saw a strange message (unacceptable behavior or something) which appeared for like 1s and then the game shut down. I attempted to log back in, and I got a message that my account was banned due to botting. I’ve since posted 2 tickets to Support and I am still waiting for an answer.

I’ve been a gamer all my life and I’ve never got banned from any game I’ve played in over 15 years of gaming.

I’ve never botted or macroed or anything of that sort in GW2. My crime could have been that I was near “Petinent Waypoint” in “Cursed Shore” at the time, waiting for some DEs to start, and farming a bit till my guild mates decided on which dungeon they wanted to run (we were on TS when this happened).

I had logged into the game for less than an hour today and I was at the place for less than 30 minutes. I mean, I barely play the game these days, and just casually and for a few hours a day when I do.

So, My question is: how do you, Anet, determine if a player is actually botting or not?

I am asking because I simply cannot understand how you can identity me as a botter and ban me. I’ve also read a lot of similar reports from other players who got falsely banned.

Does being in a certain part of the map, like near “Petinent Waypoint” in “Cursed Shore”, automatically flag you for being a bot, since there are droves of bots there that go untouched for the most part, even after I report them repeatedly?

If another player falsely blanket reports a bunch of players in that area as bots (including bots and normal players), do you ban everyone as a lump sum without checking?

Suffice to say, I expect my account to be reinstated as soon as possible, but do you offer any compensation for falsely suspending or banning accounts, especially that sometimes the support takes a long time to respond and lift the bans?